The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1887-03-31
Letter From Jona1han Davy.


You were kind enough to express a
desire to receive an occasional letter
from me on my visit to Old England.
Well, sir; landed safely in Liverpool
from the good ship City of Berlin last
Saturday night, having made the pas
sage in ten days, during several of
which we encountered severe gales and
tempestuous seas. We steamed out of
New York harbor on the evening of
Wednesday, In rather hazy weather but
we had a capital view of the huge
Statue Of Liberty, holding up her gi-
gantic torch, but alas, the torch had
gone out.
just before reaching the ocean we
States Mah-of-War. Of course we
saluted the representative of your
great Nation by lowering the British
Ensign, which she graciOusly and grace
fully returned, we heard her drums and
flies and waves our hats and handker-
chiefs and with cheer, streamed forth
into 1.-The mighty and misty Atlantic. :"
Neptune was by no means so polite as
the representative of the Stars and
Stripes, our good ship politely bowed
each time more humbly and lower. but
waves. The dinner gong was sounded
and the whole company of saloon pas
SengerS responded by taking their seats
at the long table, which looked very at
tractive by glittering silver and large
dishes of many kinds of fruit. There
were only fifteen passengers in all and
we voted that every one should assist
to make up for lack of numbers by
trebllng our capacity to amuSe and in
terest, and so the majority did and our
pleasures never failed all the voyage.
The dinner, which was excellent.
consisted of the usual routine of soups,
fish, joints, relieves, entrees, roasts, en-
tremets, ices and excellent dessert.
When the weather permitted Captain
Land took the head of the table, and
never met with more perfect speci-
men Of the unity of those grand char
acters, a digni6ed commander, per-
teous host. He was full of anecdOte
and capital stories, and kept up our
spirits when the ''stormy winds did
blow" and things looked very gloomy.
The officers did their best to follow his
lead, and succeeded. Friday ''blew
great guns Saturday violent gale. /
was cheered by remembering the
words of my friend the Rev.
Mr.. Hendy at the Emporia depot.
1.-THE City of Berlin is a splendid sea
boat, F." he said. He had been out and
home in her. We drove before the gale
for twenty-four hours and much out of
our course. Many captains would
have put on full head of steam and
crashed through or under the fierce
waves but he was wiser and more pru-
dent, for we might have had every boat
swept away and our decks cleared.
The huge waves curled and the wind
1 laxxy ha fOV of oh
ing the ocean with binding foam
which seethed and Kissed. Probably
the height of the waves following us
and which threatened every moment to
crash on the decks and crush us was
deceptive, but they lowered over us to
that degree that said ''they must be
forty feet high" We realized the
truth of the words in that grand Psalm,
They mount up to the Heavens, they
go down again to the depths, their
soul is melted because of trouble. -
Next day, Sunday, was the calmest and
we had service on board at which the
Captain officiated as Minister, all the
crew who could be spared coming into
| the saloon, and joined heartily in the
hymn. Nearer My God to Thee" 1t
was both solemn and grand. Some of
my American fellow passengers who
had probably never heard the Church
/
course struck with the strange repeti-
ton, LET us Pray, uttered by the
Minister several times and said they
thought they were praying all the
time, in uttering the responses. 1t was
many years since l had heard the ser
vice, and Quaker as l am, its sOlemnity
impressed me deeply. We reach
ed Queenstown at midnight and put
mails on board tender and hurrah foI
Liverpool. Alas, our progress was
soon retarded by thick fog which COM
PEELED the constant use of that most
mournful music, the fog horn. Although
we had taken the pilot at Queenstown
the Captain remained on the bridge all
night and the next day, till we heard
the five minute gun at Holy Head
Fog dispelled and a capital dinner.
when we drank a health to each other
before parting, and exchanged cards
Landed, luggage passed in three min
utes. Caught the night express fol
London and sat down to breakfast
with my son and daughter in one OF
the suburbs of the big village" on Sun
day morning.-Latest news: Mr.. and
Mrs. Gladstone went to Windsor
Castle, the guests of her Majesty, the
| Queen, and stayed all night. Hurrah
for the grand old man, and God save
the Queen.